When I was much younger, my video gaming fix came in from a computers and not a console. I started with an XT which was fully loaded with CGA graphics, 640k, and a 20 mb hard drive. These were the days were games came on a single 5 1/4 floppy disk and, even then, only a fraction of space was taken by it. As the years have gone by, many computers have come and gone with each new generation being faster more powerful. For me, the biggest motivation for an upgrade was my continued passion for gaming.
The first console I owned was a PS2 with a handful of games. It was a second-hand purchase and a nice addition but it still didn’t match PC gaming. Games like God of War and Twisted Metal Black were fine games but the only thing I kept on thinking was that it was a shame they weren’t available on PC. By the time that the ‘next generation’ came around, there seemed to be a shift as far as gaming was concerned was concerned. With the XBox360 and the PS3, games studios and publishers seemed to be developing an increasing amount for consoles than the PC. While there were genres that never seemed to cross over well to a console, it seemed like the majority of triple-A titles were becoming available and increasingly exclusive to consoles. A few years ago, I gave in. I began gaming almost exclusively on the 360.
The past 4 years or so were great years for gaming and I do enjoy my Xbox. Sure, I still played the occasional game on the PC — I couldn’t get certain games like Starcraft II fast enough when it was finally released. Of course there were other games like Torchlight and Diablo III though both have come to the console eventually. I also played the occasional Android game on my tablet and it was through this that I somehow came across one of the Humble Bundle initiatives.
The Humble Bundle is essentially a bundled set of games put together where you name the price for these games. If you pay more than the average, you get more games thrown in as part of the deal (mainly distributed via Steam). As for the proceeds, a percentage goes to charity and you can even dictate how much of it does. All of this was fine and nice of course and, while I did take advantage of a couple of these, I didn’t think much more of it…. until a few months ago.
As details of the new consoles were coming out, it became abundantly clear that the XBox One would not be able to do backwards compatibility. For someone who has collected and amassed a fair amount of games for the 360, this was a very disappointing revelation. Then it happened, the Humble Bundle was offering up a package that included that included one of my all-time favorite games, Alan Wake along with Alan Wake: American Nightmare. The thought of retiring my copy of Alan Wake along with the 360 wasn’t something I was overly thrilled about. Options include either keeping the old console around along with the games or re-buying the titles. Normally, re-buying a title for a different gaming platform can be a bit cost prohibitive in the long run but, the Humble Bundle made these purchases potentially a lot cheaper while also being for a great cause. Thanks to the Humble Bundle, I have been re-buying various titles when they have popped up for a fraction of what I would normally pay for them even if they go on sale on Steam. It also got me many other games that I was interested in but hadn’t had a chance to get yet.
In short, the Humble Bundle got me to spend more time gaming back on the PC. It has also allowed me to rediscover Steam. Like many gamers of a particular age, most of us despised Steam as an annoying necessity. The idea behind it was not as accepted as it is today with the notion that Steam had to connect in order to play your games. It was a form of DRM at it’s worse. I’ve had an account for years but aside from a couple of titles, I never touched it. Because Humble Bundle does some of its distribution using Steam (though not all), it allowed me to reacquaint myself with it. Having had several years of experience with XBox Gold and its Live Arcade, some of Steam’s criteria is no longer a bother to me as I have become more enamored of some of the conveniences it provides. I started using Steam a lot more and have grown to love their sales too.
Between the various Humble Bundles and Steam sales, what could be better? How about a Humble Bundle store? This week (yesterday in fact), Humble Bundle has a store section where every day, there are different games offered up on sale with part of the proceeds going to charity. These are sales which are reminiscent of some of the prices you’ll see on some of the bigger Steam sales and already, I am making a point to check every single day.
While I was originally planning to join many of my fellow gamers and embrace the new console generation, I have a huge incentive not to as I am finding that my PC and I have a lot of catching up to do.
Be sure to check out the Humble Bundle for everything they have to offer, HERE.